Attorney José Enrico Valenzuela-Alvarado was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 6, 1976.  Education: University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (Bachelor in Social Sciences; Concentration in Political Sciences, Magna Cum Laude, 1999); Inter-American University of Puerto Rico (Juris Doctor, 2002). Languages: Spanish and English.

Attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado was admitted to the legal profession in January 2003, first working at private practice and thereafter in the Puerto Rico’s Department of Justice (2003-2011).  During his first months as an admitted Attorney, (January 2003 – September 2003) Mr. Valenzuela-Alvarado worked as an Associate Attorney in O’NEILL & GILMORE, P.S.C. (FORMER OFG&P-O). He was in charge of the Sears, CitiCapital (A Citi Group Division), and One Stop Prescriptions, Inc., accounts, working with cases such as: collections, labor and employment, torts, contracts, appellate practice, and request of permissions at the P.R. Department of Health for pharmacies. He also assisted in Federal litigation, specifically in torts and obtained litigation experience.

Thereafter, while working in civil litigation at the Department of Justice (2003), Attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado was appointed by then Secretary of Justice as Director of Legal Affairs (2006-2009), in charge of civil state and federal litigation of around twelve to twenty-four attorneys and supporting personnel. Attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado managed cases before the Federal District Court for the District of Puerto Rico (jury trials, and injunctions); the Federal Bankruptcy Court for the District of Puerto Rico (adversary proceedings), the State Courts and supervised cases filed at other jurisdictions. After January 2009, Attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado served in an Interim basis as Director of Legal Affairs.

Then, Attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado was appointed Assistant Solicitor General (2009-2011), handling appeals before the Puerto Rico Appeals Court, the Supreme Court, and the First Circuit Court of Appeals.  He also handled and conducted ethics complaints against attorneys before the Puerto Rico Supreme Court in writing and in litigation, before appointed Commissioners.

In May 2011, attorney José Enrico Valenzuela-Alvarado founded Valenzuela-Alvarado, LLC.  Among his duties in private practice, attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado has worked representing -either Plaintiffs and Defendants- in the Federal (diversity and federal question cases) and State Courts, including appellate practice, and as Official Examiner in labor and employment cases at the local Department of Education.

In addition, attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado has worked since 2011 pro bono as District Justice before the Board of Directors of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International, specifically in District XXVII-Puerto Rico, representing the three (3) law schools in Puerto Rico, to wit: University of Puerto Rico School of Law, Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law, and Pontifical University of Puerto Rico School of Law.

Attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado also created and currently is providing the following Continuing Legal Education Seminars all approved by the Puerto Rico Supreme Court:

• “The Summary Judgment at the Federal Forum, the best intent to dismiss a case”, (P.R. Supreme Court No. LITI-2007-210).
• “Federal Civil Rights Act In Puerto Rico, General Pre Trial Theory and Practice”. (P.R. Supreme Court No. LITI-2010-419).
• “Aspectos Prácticos en Quejas y Querellas Éticas ante el Tribunal Supremo de P.R., (P.R. Supreme Court No. ETI-2007-49).
• “ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct y los Cánones de ética Profesional en el Siglo XXI” (P.R. Supreme Court No. ETI-2014-420).
• “El Dilema de los Honrarios de Abogados”, (P.R. Supreme Court No. ETI-2012-271).
• “La Litigación en los Medios ante los Cánones de ética Profesional” (P.R. Supreme Court No. ETI-2012-260).
• “Conflictos de Intereses, ética y Civilidad en la Litigación” (P.R. Supreme Court No. ETI-2012-206).
• “Jurisdicción Federal: The Basics”, (P.R. Supreme Court No. LITI-2011-447).
• “Efectos del Informe del Departamento de Justicia Federal ante la Litigación de Derechos Civiles en Puerto Rico”, (P.R. Supreme Court No. CONST-2008-29).

Also, attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado has the following publications:

• “Federal Jurisdiction v. Abstention, Who Prevails?”, XLIII NÚM. 2 REV. JUR. U.I.P.R. 279 INTER-AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO SCHOOL OF LAW (September 2009).
• “Federal Civil Rights In Puerto Rico, General Pre Trial Theory And Praxis In The New Century”, XLIV NÚM. 2 REV. JUR. U.I.P.R. 197 INTER-AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO SCHOOL OF LAW (September 2010).
• “How To Defend A Prosecutor At The Federal Forum In A Civil Rights Complaint?”, LEY Y FORO, COLEGIO DE ABOGADOS DE PUERTO RICO (August 2008).
• “El Contrato de Transacción en los Pleitos de Clase”, XXXVII NÚM. I REV. JUR. U.I.P.R. 165 (2002).
• “El término prescriptivo y su retroactividad ante las quejas y querellas éticas contra abogados en Puerto Rico” (9 octubre 2016), https://aldia.microjuris.com/2016/10/09/el-termino-prescriptivo-y-su-retroactividad-ante-las-quejas-y-querellas-eticas-contra-abogados-en-puerto-rico/
• “La asignación de abogados de oficio en casos penales vs. la representación efectiva de acusados en Puerto Rico” (5 noviembre 2016), https://aldia.microjuris.com/2016/11/05/la-asignacion-de-abogados-de-oficio-en-casos-penales-vs-la-representacion-efectiva-de-acusados-en-puerto-rico/

Finally, attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado also participated pro bono in television at “Sistema TV Informa” (news program) at Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez, and  currently in Wapa.TV (Noticentro.TV) at Channel 4 and internationally through Wapa América, and in “Mi Gente” (talk show) at Canal 13-Tele Oro, as legal and political analyst once a week in both channels.  “Sistema TV Informa” (news program) at Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez, is available at channels 40.1 and 26.1, Cable and Satellite: DIRECTV – Channel 180, Liberty – Channel 3 y Channel 203 HD, Claro TV – Channel 40, Dish – Channel 40 y Choice – Channel 26, and available at www.sistematv.com. “Mi Gente” (talk show) at Canal 13-Tele Oro, is available at channel 13 at Dish, Liberty, and Claro, and available at http://www.canal13pr.tv. In addition, Attorney Valenzuela-Alvarado also has participated in Telemundo Puerto Rico as commentator in different legal public issues.  The interventions are available at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheIuslex/featured.